Everyone had high expectations for these Arizona Diamondbacks (30-31), many of which picked the club to take the division. These expectations were made with good reason, as the team had an improbable run to capture the NL West title last season, we came into the spring with one of the stronger bullpens in the league (on paper),  we were absolutely dominant in one-run games last year, and we had pretty much every vital piece to last year’s squad coming back this year. In addition to that, the club picked up Trevor Cahill from Oakland to strengthen the rotation, and added left-handed slugger Jason Kubel (possibly the best free-agent signing thus far) via free agency to add depth the squad.

So far, much of last year’s magic has not transferred over to this season. The good news is, we really aren’t far off of last year’s pace at this point of the season. Through 61 games, this year’s club is 30-31, thanks to a recent spark in the offense during a 7-2 homestand. Through 61 games last season, the team was 33-28, only three games up of our current position. This was thanks to an impressive hot streak from May 14th-June 5th where the club went 18-5.

Jason Kubel has been a force in the middle of the lineup, batting .293 with six home runs and 36 RBIs. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Although we aren’t on that type of hot streak right now, the club has played much better baseball the last couple weeks and have shown signs of that competitiveness that we saw all of last season. Here are some reasons to remain hopeful:

1. It’s a long season. 162 games to be exact. The team still has 101 games left on their schedule, so we have plenty of time to catch up with those first place Dodgers.

2. Extra Wild Card Team. Major League Baseball capitalized on an unbelievable post season last year and added an additional wild card team to each league’s postseason makeup. Now the two wild card teams in each league will have to play each other for a chance to advance in the postseason.

3. We’ve Done it Before. Pretty self explanatory. We did it last year. The team knows it can be done, so important games down the stretch shouldn’t rattle their cages.

4. Streaky Club. As seen this season, our players tend to go on hot streaks and cold streaks. It looked like the whole club started off the season going ice-cold at the plate. We’ve seen signs of heating up from Paul Goldcshmidt and Kubel as of late. If Miguel Montero and Justin Upton decide to join the hit parade, this could be a very dangerous club. At his best, Upton is an MVP candidate no doubt, but is only batting .245 with five home runs and 22 RBIs.

5. Division Injury Status. The D-backs have a great opportunity to make up ground within the division while some the most feared hitters in the division are battling some injuries.

*The L.A. Dodgers are without the service of their MVP candidate for a few more weeks as Matt kemp sits out with a hamstring. The team has also lost their most productive starter this season when Ted Lilly hit the disabled list with a shoulder injury.

*Troy Tulowitzki has been out of the Rockies’ lineup for the past couple weeks battling a left groin strain. He started a Triple-A rehab assignment today against the Reno Aces and had to pull himself from the game, as it appeared he may have re-aggravated his groin. No announcement has been made regarding the injury or it’s severity.

*Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants just came off of the DL after missing time for a fractured left hamate bone in his wrist. Having experienced a similar injury in high school, I can tell you this is a very difficult injury to overcome. The wrist plays such an essential role in a player’s swing, and the possibility of it lingering or affecting his performance is high. On top of that, their two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum is pitching like a number five starter, posting a 2-7 record, and a 6.00 ERA.

*Aside from all the negative injury news, the D-backs are happy to receive some happy news on the injury front, as Stephen Drew has been playing with the clubs Triple-A affiliate in Reno, and is expected to rejoin the club by the end of the month.

Kevin Towers has done a great job adding depth to the squad and putting us in a position to compete every night. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

6. Team Depth. Kevin Towers was heavily criticized when he added Kubel in the offseason, creating what some would say is a log jam in the outfield. Simply put, Towers wanted depth. I’m calling it the best offseason pickup of any team, as no other player has been more valuable to his team thus far in the season than Kubel has. Batting around .300 and taking the place of injured Chris Young when he battled his DL stint, Kubel has fit in nicely in the middle of the lineup. In addition to Kubel, the steam has a very deep pitching staff, and young gun slingers (Bauer and Skaggs) waiting for their chance.

With all that said, the club has a golden opportunity to make some magic happen. We have the right pieces in place, it’s just a matter of executing on a day to day basis. The players just need to relax, have fun playing the game they love, and take it one game at a time. With 101 games still to be played, there is still a lot of season left, and we need to make sure that we put ourselves in a position to be in contention come August and September. Either way, it should be fun to see what these boys can do in the dog days of summer.

Follow me on Twitter at @Nick_Valenzuela and our team at @venomstrikes.

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Feb 24, 2012; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson (middle left) talks with members of the coaching staff along side executive vice president and general manager Kevin Towers (middle right) during spring training at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

Most, if not all of us here at Venomstrikes think the Arizona Diamondbacks will be in for some big things during the upcoming 2012 season.  This is not because we write a site dedicated to them.  There are legitimate reasons why we feel this team could be special, from Justin Upton, to the depth of the pitching staff to the outstanding 1-2 management punch of Kirk Gibson  and Kevin Towers.  Oh, and don’t forget they won 94 games and the National League West  in 2011.  Yet, it would be fun to offer an opposing view, one that has the D-Backs crashing back down to Earth, something along the lines of a. 82-80 record and third place in the division.  It would go something like this.

The division will be stronger.   The San Francisco Giants  were World Series  Champions two seasons ago.  They know how to win.  Buster Posey  should be 100% healthy and expect closer Brian Wilson to bounce back as well.  There are is also those two starting pitchers, fellows by the names of Tim Lincecum  and Matt Cain.  The Los Angeles Dodgers  finished the 2^nd half a strong 41-28 and possess two of the game’s elite players in Clayton Kershaw  and Matt Kemp.    Hiroki Kuroda  is gone but Chris Capuano  could fill his void nicely.  A bounce-back year is in order for former All-Star Chad Billingsley.  So much went wrong for the Colorado Rockies  in 2011.  You can not discount a team with two offensive forces in Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki.  If their young starting pitching matures quickly, this team will give contenders fits.  The San Diego Padres  have wheeled and dealed the past two offseasons and the results could be interesting for 2012.  Former All-Stars Carlos Quentin and  Edinson Volquez  are ready to jump-start the franchise to bigger and better things. 

Production could drop for several players.  We know Ian Kennedy is an excellent pitcher but if you had to choose between Kershaw and Kennedy to win 21 games again, who would you put your money on?  Kennedy could still be a force and still win only 16 or 17 games.  Trevor Cahill is nice but his career ERA was almost 4.00 pitching half of his starts in the cozy confines of the Oakland Coliseum.    The health of J.J. Putz is always a concern.  Opposing NL hitters may figure out Brad Ziegler the second time around.  If Stephen Drew is not fully recovered from his ankle injury, Shortstop will be a concern for Arizona.

You don’t go from 69 wins one season to 94 wins the very next one without a good deal of luck.  Some of that luck may evaporate during 2012 for the D-Backs. Arizona could still play well enough for 88 victories but that could very well result in a second place finish and out of the wild card mix this season.  What we can say with certainty is that the future is bright for the team in the Valley.

Follow me on Twitter @ltj41 and at www.clearthebases.net